No More Christmas Bowl?
by rainbownostalgia
Summary: HiruSena- A major injury from their game against Ojo leaves Sena unable to play. WARNINGS: Shounen-ai, spoilers if you haven't finished the anime, and foul language. Hiruma's, of course. Possibly OOC, though I tried to stay within believable borders. COMPLETE, two chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Pairing: HirumaxSena **

**Warnings: Mild shounen-ai and also some cursing on Hiruma's part. (I don't usually curse and it hurt me inside every time I wrote a curse word ;w; so I think you'll be able to bear with it). Also, SPOILERS: this is based on the anime Eyesheld 21, and if you haven't watched the whole thing, STOP RIGHT NOW!**

**Claimer: Yes! I own Eyeshield 31! ...Which would make some guy named Bud Walker a running back...but anyways, sadly I don't own Eyeshield 21. **

**A/N: To my fellow American people, Happy 4th of July! Of course I didn't write this for that, I just fell in love with Hiruma and Sena while watching the anime and whenever I do that I feel obligated to write something as a tribute. So here we are! Originally meant as a oneshot, but it became too long for that. Please no flaming, because everyone knows what starts with 'f' and ends with 'uck'...that's right! Firetruck! Anyways, enjoy. ^^**

**EDIT 7/6/12: I read it over and revised a bunch of grammar mistakes...sorry that I couldn't catch them earlier T_T. And thank you so much for the reviews (2, and 2 favorites too XD)! I'm so happy I could cry ;^;. It probably isn't much to the FanFiction geniuses around here, but I'm so grateful to you guys (even if you're anonymous and I can't really tell who you are...) **

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A soft, golden ray of sunshine spilled across a mess of brown hair. The bustle of morning activity filled the outside air as birds greeted each other and smooth, pale green leaves rustled in the wind, all but oblivious to the sleeping brunette snuggled up in his sanctuary. His sleeping form rose and fell rhythmically, exhausted from the previous day's intense yet triumphant battle against one of the best teams in Japan, the Ojo White Knights. Unfortunately, even his beloved American football could not stop life from going on, the obnoxiously loud alarm clock signaling this as a fact for its owner to wake up from his fantasies.

"Ngh…" The boy turned over on his side in an attempt to block out the blaring before finally rubbing his eyes sleepily and sitting up with a yawn and a long stretch. However, the sudden stress on his already sore muscles caused a groan to escape.

"Sena!" A voice called from downstairs. "Sena, hurry up! Just because Mamori-chan isn't going to wait for you anymore doesn't mean you can slack off," his mother scolded fussily.

Fifteen-year old Sena Kobayakawa slid out of his bed, still groggy and half-asleep. He stood as if to make for his bathroom door, but a bright burst of pain erupted from his right knee in doing so.

"Ugh!"

Sena fell to the floor fully awake now, his arms cupping the injured knee, which had swollen considerably since the last time he'd seen it. His mind was swirling in a torrent of overwhelming pain, tears beginning to form at the corner of his eyes. _It's been a day since the game against Ojo…it should've healed already_, he thought amidst the dizziness and nausea he felt from the injury. He tried standing again, but when he placed too much weight on his right knee again, it buckled from below him and he tumbled once more to the floor. The noise did not go unnoticed by his mother.

"Sena? What is going on up there? Is something wrong?" A trace of concern could be heard.

"Ah- um, it's nothing, I just dropped my schoolbooks when I was trying to put them in my bag," Sena replied guiltily. "Silly me. I'll be down in a sec." Taking note of his past two mistakes, Sena half-limped half-dragged himself along the wall to the bathroom, where he immediately sank to the floor, panting. Bracing himself, he took a closer inspection at his knee.

The area around his kneecap had swollen to a purplish-blue that made Sena feel sick to his stomach as he kept staring at it in disbelief. It had become twice the size of his left one and wobbled when he tried to walk. Slowly standing and leaning on his left leg, Sena opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed a roll of bandages. "Guess it can't be helped," he said absent-mindedly to himself. _After all, I was up against Tokyo's number one linebacker, Shin-san._ _There's no way I'd escape without at least this minor injury_. As he wrapped the tender knee in bandages, the previous day's events came back to him in a rush of memories. It was still hard to believe that they'd won- that the Deimon Devil Bats (who'd lost their first game against Ojo 99-0, not in their favor) had won. _They may have had Shin-san, but we had Hiruma-san, Monta, and the rest of the Devil Bats on our side. _He couldn't wait to see them today.

Sena allowed himself a small victorious smile before he put up the rest of the bandages and tested his newly wrapped leg. "Urk-!" Sena winced, as the hellish pain hadn't left. But at least the wobbling had, thankfully. Hopefully none of his teammates would notice during today's afternoon practice. _And then I can get Mom to take me to the doctor before the tomorrow's practice,_ Sena thought to himself. The hardest part would be keeping it from the Commander from Hell, who saw through everything. His blood ran cold at the thought of his evil captain cackling and firing bullets every which way.

Quickly finishing up his business upstairs, Sena grabbed his schoolbag before limping down the stairs and out the door, a sandwich in his mouth. He was on the verge of being late, again. _I spent too much time taking care of my knee,_ Sena cursed. It didn't help that his speed was hindered by the nuisance.

He rounded the corner and dashed into his first period classroom just as the tardy bell tolled. Collapsing into his seat, Sena was once again aware of the blazing fire of pain that took over his knee. It was going to be a long, long day.

* * *

Somehow, by a miracle, he managed to make it through the rest of his classes without passing out. That was good. Perhaps his luck would even hold out through practice. Either way, Sena would find out now as he trudged to the American Football Club's very own clubhouse, equipped with a flashy sign that read "Deimon Devil Bats." He pulled the door open, slightly wary of who was already inside. _I'm not late again, am I?_

"Sena!" Monta came running at max-speed at him before draping an arm around his shoulder. "I was just about to get you!" He grinned. "There's no way we can celebrate without you."

"Ah, Monta," Sena said, relieved. "What's up?"

"Ya~" Suzuna skated her way towards them. "We were thinking that since You-nii isn't here yet, we might as well gather everyone around the table and celebrate our victory against Ojo." At this she clasped her hands together and beamed at him proudly. "After all, you guys deserve it."

"I guess," Sena smiled back sheepishly. "Though it's odd that Hiruma-san isn't here yet." He paused for a moment, a feeling of dread washing over him. "I hope he's not planning another surprise…" Sena trailed off into silence as a collective shudder went through the members of the room, effectively spoiling any festive mood they had earlier.

"A-a-anyways," Jumonji coughed.

"Mou, he always gripes to us to be here on time, and now he's the last one to get here!" Mamori fumed, waving her clipboard around in irritation. "I wish he'd just-"

"You wish I'd what, Manajerk?"

The group huddled together in fright as Hiruma kicked the door down, firing bullets in every direction and laughing maniacally. "Get to practice, ladies! I'm going to time you all on your 40-yard dash, so there better be some improvement!" A sinister glint in his eye got everyone moving, even the previously stubborn Mamori.

"B-but Hiruma-senpai, we just-" Monta tried to cut in.

Hiruma turned to face the receiver, towering over him whilst raising an eyebrow. "Eh? I don't seem to have heard you right. Did you ask for 100 extra laps? Well alright then." Then he stalked off, the large metallic gun in his arms in plain view. Needless to say, Monta joined the others outside on the field without another word.

"Argh! Frustrated-MAX!" Monta complained to Sena, joining him on his stretches. Sena didn't dare stretch his right leg for fear that doing so would cause the dull throbbing to blossom into a more audible one, which would be hard to overcome when Hiruma-san timed them.

Well, when someone _else_ did, because that was obviously what the tone of his voice implied.

"Alright, line up!"

The team assembled themselves together in a line, with Sena second to last. He didn't have the courage to face Hiruma's wrath over his undeniably poor results. He began fidgeting nervously, bending down to gently massage his knee. _Ouch…_

"Ah-ha-ha! Leave it to me~" Taki lifted his leg in a 180-degree angle and began twirling idiotically. He, of course, had made it to the front of the line.

"JUST GO ALREADY!" The Ha-Ha Brothers shouted in unison.

"Idiot brother," Suzuna grumbled, embarrassed.

Taki took off, combining his long strides with a fast, trained pace. He reached the white line easily. Mamori glanced at her stopwatch and declared, "5.01 seconds." Even Hiruma couldn't object at that.

"Ah-ha-ha! My best time~" Taki flashed a sparking grin.

The others managed to do considerably better as well. Kurita shaved off 0.01 seconds off his time, evoking a burst of applause from Komusubi to his 'master.' _Oh no…if everyone does well then my terrible time will stand out_, Sena thought miserably as he moved up farther towards the front. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Sena," Monta reassured, giving him a thumbs-up. "You'll do fine-MAX! After all, I'm Deimon's catching ace, but you're our running ace!" He patted Sena's shoulder.

Sena felt slightly comforted at this. "Thanks Monta," he smiled gratefully. _That's right. I definitely can't let anyone worry about me when our game against the Hakushuu Dinosaurs is coming up. I have to pull it off. We _will_ make it to the Christmas Bowl!_

It was Sena's turn now. Crouching down low and putting his left knee behind him as a boost, Sena took off, running as fast as he could. Immediately, his right knee started screaming at him, protesting violently as it tried to get him to stop. However, Sena wouldn't let this slow him down. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth to bear the pain, feeling the rusty taste of blood enter his mouth as he accidentally bit his cheek. _My knee...it's throwing me off balance_, Sena realized. He tried to accelerate as far as he could without his leg buckling below him to make up for it. Each second felt like an eternity, and it tortured him to keep moving, but he had to. For his sake. For the Devil Bats.

Sena didn't register when he passed the white line, his mind was in such a whirling haze. He could barely even hear the words Mamori spoke as she stated, "4.6 seconds." He fell to the ground ungracefully, panting heavily and desperately driving off the tears that longed to fall.

"Sena, are you okay?" Monta crouched before Sena, lending him a hand to help him up, which Sena accepted. His head was clearing up enough for him to notice that the pain in his right knee had reached its climax. No amount of bandages could support it now. He stood, leaning a bit more than normal on Monta as he tried to regain control of his footing.

_4.6 seconds…was it enough?_

It wasn't.

"Oi, damn chibi. Get over here." Hiruma managed to shout in a level voice. His eyes were hidden by shadows, so Sena couldn't tell exactly how mad Hiruma was at him. But just by his tone, he _was_ able to tell that Hiruma was furious. Sena swallowed once and obeyed his orders.

"U-um…what is it, Hiruma-san?" He averted his eyes knowingly. _My luck just never seems to hold out around him…_

"Don't 'what is it, Hiruma-san' me! What was that shitty time you got?" Hiruma growled, mimicking Sena's meek tone. "You just don't seem to understand, do you? Just because we beat Ojo yesterday doesn't mean we have room to slack off!" He was glaring daggers at the smaller running back.

"I-I-I didn't mean to, I just-" Sena started trembling despite his attempts to be brave.

Hiruma jabbed a finger into his face. "Look at me when you talk, damn chibi." Sena flinched at the accusing finger, but slowly dragged his gaze to meet with Hiruma's unwavering one. It was cold. Very cold. Sena felt a hand clench at his heart, squeezing it so tight he could barely breathe. He could feel the heat radiating from Hiruma's fury flow towards him. Sena shivered.

There was a deadly pause before Hiruma spoke again. And when he did, the words were said in a chillingly low tone. "Pick up the pace or you'll be nothing more than a burden. Do you even _want_ to go to the Christmas Bowl?"

That was the last straw. Fresh tears pooled in Sena's eyes before trickling down his cheeks. He'd never felt so miserable, so hurt in his life, even when he'd been running errands and being a gopher for bullies. And Hiruma didn't even see him cry, because his back was already turned and he was already marching towards the others. _How could he?_ Sena thought, anguished. _How could he say such a horrible thing?_

It didn't help much when Mamori and Suzuna, both of whom had heard the last half of the conversation, had come running to his side. "Hiruma-kun!" Mamori shouted indignantly at the receding figure. "Hiruma-kun, you heartless brute! How could you?" She had her arms wrapped around Sena's shoulders protectively.

"Nee, Sena, are you okay?" Suzuna whispered, her worry genuine.

"I'm fine, Suzuna, thanks. And thank you too, Mamori-neechan, but I'll be okay." He forced a smile as convincingly as he could and gently unwrapped Mamori's arms from around his shoulders. Of course, they were still unbelieving and wanted to question him further, but he ran off to join the others before they could.

_I'll have to work even harder to prove it to Hiruma-san…that I really do want to go to the Christmas Bowl with everyone!_ And Sena really did want to show Hiruma that his intentions were sincere. It hurt like hell when Hiruma had expressed his disappointment right to his face, and so bluntly. It hurt even more than his injured knee did, and Sena used this as motivation to work harder. _Perhaps I'll start by joining Monta on his 100 laps…and maybe another 100 after that. _It didn't matter that his knee was already overworked from the 40-yard dash. He would push it to his limits before he would dare to give up.

* * *

Practice had ended with everyone sweaty and panting from the rigorous training.

Sena lifted his helmet from his head and enjoyed the evening breeze that rippled through his hair, effectively cooling him off. He had managed to run 200 laps before his knee failed to let him even stand, much less run. He could only hope that Hiruma was satisfied, but Sena didn't exactly have time to stick around and find out. After phoning his mother during his lunch break, she'd managed to schedule an appointment with his doctor right after practice. Which meant he had less than five minutes to finish.

Sena limped as fast as he could to the changing rooms in the clubhouse, straightening to a normal, unsteady walk whenever anyone took notice of him. It was extremely vexing to keep up, not to mention painful. _This appointment better be good, or I'm doomed._

Grabbing his schoolbag, Sena hurried out of the locker room, having changed at light speed. _I should be the running back of changing too,_ Sena mused to himself absent-mindedly. He'd spotted his mother's car waiting for him on the street. Somewhere in the distance behind him, Sena could hear Monta's voice calling out a good-bye. Without even turning his head, Sena waved back before climbing into the front seat of the small yet comfy car.

"Mou, Sena, I wish you'd be a bit faster," his mother chided as she sped off even before his seatbelt was in place. "We'll be about ten minutes late, but I called the doctor ahead of time and he said that it'd be no problem." She kept her eyes on the road as she spoke, scanning the streets for the fastest possible route. Sena smiled to himself. _I probably look like that when I'm trying to avoid a tackle._

"Thanks, Mom," Sena replied aloud. "I guess it's weird that you're waiting to pick me up when I usually just walk home."

"Well, don't let this become a habit. Miyagi-sensei will get that knee of yours fixed in no time, and you'll be walking home from school everyday from then, young man."

Sena laughed at that. This light-hearted conversation was exactly what he needed to drive the thoughts of Hiruma's enraged face from his mind. As much as he'd try to fool himself, Hiruma's approval meant more to him than possibly all of the other members of the team. Hiruma had introduced American Football to him and had always been the reliable Control Tower during their games. He'd pushed Sena back to his feet when he doubted himself. He'd placed a massive amount of trust in the smaller running back, believing that Sena would overcome his opponent no matter what. And that was why Sena's feelings for Hiruma ran deeper than just admiration.

_Could this be…love?_

He wasn't really sure, to be honest. He'd never loved anyone before, and the fact that Hiruma was a conniving, sinister _guy_ just made him all the more confused at this strange emotion.

_And besides, there's no way Hiruma-san reciprocates my feelings after what happened today…_Sena thought bitterly. He was just about to curse his knee in despair when his mother's voice jarred him out of his thoughts.

"Sena, we're here. Do you need any help standing?"

"I think I'll be okay," he assured her. He'd only told her that his knee was swollen and that the swelling wouldn't go away. And who knows what it looked like now, after he'd pushed it to its limits. He hadn't been able to spare a glance at it, for fear that it had grown worse.

They entered the reception room. Sena was once again reminded of how much he hated going to the doctor as the plain white walls loomed down on him. There wasn't even anything interesting to look at. After running for 200 laps, he felt fidgety and couldn't bear just doing nothing but waiting for an old, bald guy. He didn't have to wait long though, as they were soon ushered into the doctor's office.

Well, at least the doctor wasn't an old, bald guy.

They sat themselves comfortably into to black chairs as a nice, friendly-looking middle-aged man smiled at them and introduced himself as Miyagi Masahiro. He had a folder in his hands and was scribbling on it in the rapid way that all doctors seemed to write.

"Sena-kun is it?" The doctor asked politely. Sena nodded. "Well then, Sena-kun, could you tell me what's wrong with your knee today?"

"Um…well my right knee has been swollen ever since yesterday…and none if it has gone away, it's only gotten worse," Sena began slowly. The doctor nodded for him to continue. "…And it really hurts to walk, it keeps wobbling and doesn't seem very stable." He swallowed, trying to recall all of the details of his injury. It didn't help that Miyagi-sensei was now frowning at him, though not in an intimidating way.

"Hm…okay, well, do you play any sports Sena-kun?" The doctor questioned after Sena had grown silent.

"Yeah, American Football." Sena was surprised by the question. For some strange reason, he also felt compelled to add, "I'm a running back."

This seemed to confirm the doctor's suspicions. A troubled look washed over his face which Sena did _not_ like at all.

"Football, huh…I'll be honest to you Sena-kun, as of right now, I'm thinking that you have an anterior cruciate ligament injury," Miyagi-sensei informed him solemnly. Sena didn't have a clue as to what the doctor was saying, but it seemed that he wasn't finished speaking yet. "This type of injury is mainly seen in sports like American Football where you make sharp changes in direction when running. It can also be caused by rapid deceleration, sudden stops, landing from a jump improperly, and collision such as is seen in football tackles. Sound familiar?"

Sena pondered this for a moment. Unfortunately, it did sound familiar. Sharp changes in direction? Sena's running style was practically known for this. Luckily, he'd managed to overcome the rapid deceleration and sudden stops with the Devil Bat Ghost, but again, this made use of Sena's sharp running to quickly alter direction. And landing from a jump improperly? Well, let's just say that Sena did not know how to "properly" land and probably abused this factor more than he'd liked to with his Devil Bat Dives and all. And lastly, football tackles. Had anyone kept track of the number of times that Shin had Spear/Trident Tackled him yesterday?

Sena mentioned this all to the doctor, who just nodded sadly now. "I'll perform one last check to make sure. It's called a pivot shift test, and I'll need you to lie down on the examination table for a moment."

Sena obeyed, saying nothing. Miyagi-sensei rolled up Sena's right pants leg and peeled off the bandages surrounding his knee. Sena was not prepared for what came next.

To his horror, the once purplish-blue color had taken a turn towards black and blue, and the swelling had risen as well. He whimpered softly at the sight. Not even the doctor's reassuring smile could lift his hopes now. Sena squeezed his eyes shut as Miyagi-sensei's fingers prodded the flesh along his joint line, where the pain seemed to surface the most.

"Alright, I'm going to rotate your knee a bit, then flex it. Just close your eyes."

_I would have done that even if he hadn't told me_, Sena thought to himself. The doctor's firm hands tilted his knee to the side gently, then tilted it back before slowly bending the knee. Sena wanted to yelp at the immense discomfort, but he forced himself silent.

"It's all done," the doctor said, stepping away to allow Sena to sit up again. Once his attention was focused on the doctor again, Miyagi-sensei turned his gaze to Sena's mother, who hadn't said a single word since entering the examination room.

"Your son has an anterior cruciate ligament injury, just as I suspected," he confirmed. "By studying his knee, I was able to determine that the state of the ligament is very serious- it has been almost completely torn." He paused to let the words sink in. Sena's mother didn't budge. He continued, "Sena-kun will need surgery."

"S-s-surgery?" His mother exclaimed all of a sudden. Even Sena himself was frozen in shock. He hadn't realized that the knee injury had been so serious- he'd assumed that it was just like the one he'd accumulated during the game against the Shinryuuji Nagas. Now he felt scared at hearing the dreadful words. Sena had never had surgery before.

"I'm afraid so," the doctor replied gravely. "He can't continue playing sports with such an injury or he might risk fracture to his knee cartilage. The earliest I can schedule an appointment for him at the hospital is Saturday, two days from now."

_Which means I'll have to hide it from the others for another day of practice…not to mention that we have morning _and_ afternoon practice tomorrow, _Sena thought miserably. His stomach had tightened into a knot and he felt like vomiting. Would the surgery be painful? Would he be able to play football again afterwards? Sena voiced these concerned aloud to the doctor.

"Before the surgery you'll be administered anesthesia, so you won't be able to feel anything. Completely painless, promise. As for your return to football…" the doctor paused a moment, thoughtful. _Please say yes, please, please,_ Sena willed. Normally one would be skeptical to return to a sport that might possibly cause the same injury again, but Sena loved American football. He couldn't imagine living without it.

"Of course you can return, after a proper rehabilitation period."

"Yes!" Sena cheered, relieved. The surgery didn't worry him much anymore. He'd get it over with, then rejoin the Devil Bats on the field on Monday. "Thank you so much, Miyagi-sensei." He smiled warmly at the doctor, who smiled back.

Sena and his mother stood up to leave, bowing, until the doctor stopped them. "Ah, Sena-kun, I think I'll provide you with a knee brace to support your knee for the remainder of the day and for tomorrow, so it won't be so painful to walk."

Sena sat back down, puzzled as the doctor left the room, returning in minutes with a strange contraption which helped fit onto Sena's right knee. "It looks kind of funny, but if it'll help me walk a bit better I'll use it. Thanks again, Miyagi-sensei." Good thing it could be hidden underneath his pants leg. There was no telling what Hiruma or Mamori would say about it if they saw him wearing it.

The doctor handed his mother a sheet of paper and they bid their final farewell to him, thanking him for his time. Sena was just glad that it was all over now. The visit turned out well- the knee brace he'd received was helping to support his weight greatly, so much that the pain had receded to only a dull throbbing. His mother paid a visit to the reception desk, and then they both climbed into the car.

"Sena, you should've told me earlier if it was so serious," His mother frowned before starting the engine and backing out of the parking lot. "You never tell me anything anymore. Though I suppose that's a good sign, after all." Sena didn't reply to any of this. A thought had climbed its way into his conscience, and it was _really_ bugging him.

"Nee, mom, did Miyagi-sensei say anything about the rehabilitation I'm supposed to do?" Sena pestered, suddenly sweating despite the cool air flowing out from the air conditioner.

"It's on the sheet, honey, read it. It has everything you want to know about your type of injury," she replied without taking her eyes off the road.

Sena grabbed the white paper and anxiously scanned the facts until he'd reached the words "physical therapy."

And what he read caused the fear to turn into dread. His shoulders began shaking as he struggled to grasp the enormity of the single line of words.

_No way…_

* * *

**Haha. ****Cliffhanger~!**

**But then again I completely write all of my stories before publishing, so there's no need to wait XD. **

**Honestly, though, the thing that peeves me the most here on FanFiction is how authors never finish their stories. It's understandable if you have a really long story and you have to update it chapter by chapter, but don't just leave it hanging for years! If you start a story, you at least have an obligation to your fans to finish it, right? Right. Sorry for the rant. And those of you with abandoned stories out there, start writing them again! **_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

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Sena woke to a crash of thunder and the steady pitter-patter of rain. _How fitting it is_, he thought, slowly sitting up.

He felt like it was raining inside of him as well. Not the frightening kind of thunderstorm, but more of a bleary, wet rain with gray clouds that filled the sky. Just a steady background of white noise to fill the emptiness inside of him. "Guess this just means that it wasn't meant to be," Sena whispered softly. He gave a bitter laugh before falling back onto his bed and resting his arm over his eyes, thinking back to the night before.

It had taken all of the willpower he could muster to write that letter. The letter of resignation.

Sena would be leaving the Devil Bats.

Of course he didn't want to-in fact, he'd never even thought of the idea before. And why would he? He still had the rest of the year to finish up, what with the Christmas Bowl and all…

But that stupid paper had said it all. _'Physical therapy is required for a period of at least 7 months to allow for full recovery.'_

7 months? Sena didn't even have a week to spare! Their game against the Hakushuu Dinosaurs was coming up fast, and the Devil Bats would need him up and running by then. And then after that, _if _there was an after that, the Christmas Bowl would be upon them.

But Sena wouldn't be able to play.

He'd considered not taking the surgery and just waiting until the Christmas Bowl was over before undergoing it, but there would be no way that his knee could survive running that long. Besides, the doctor had warned him to stay away from any rigorous sports to avoid further injury. It was all so unfair.

Sena knew that he didn't have to quit being part of the team- that he could just be there to support them while they were out on the field. But then he'd have to tell them about the surgery, and that meant putting more burdensome worries on them. _Everyone's already giving their best and working hard during practice…they, especially Kurita-san, wouldn't be able to focus if they found out._ He couldn't just rob Kurita of his four-year dream. And deep down, though he didn't want to admit it, Sena wouldn't be able to bear just sitting on the sidelines and watching the others play while he could do nothing but cheer anyways.

He had cried his heart out. Poured all the tears left in that bottomless reservoir inside of him down his cheeks. Sobbed about how all of his dreams and hard work for the past six months had been in vain, working for a goal that, in the end, didn't exist for him. He'd created such a mess of himself that when his mother came up to check on him, she'd only sighed and said, "You look like you're dying, Sena."

And he looked her right in the eye and simply replied, "I am." Because football was his life.

At least all of the crying from yesterday had left him unable to shed a tear afterwards. Sena was devoid of all emotion, that is, except for determination. He was determined to quit the Deimon Devil Bats today.

Even if it meant lying to the others.

* * *

He'd decided that he was going to drop the bomb before morning practice, as a result, freeing himself from it and afternoon practice at the same time.

And that's why Sena found himself standing behind Hiruma, who was busily tapping away at his laptop, blowing a minty green bubble every now and then. _I wish I didn't have to confront him directly,_ Sena lamented miserably. He was certain that Hiruma would come to hate him after he'd handed him the letter, which Sena clutched in his hands with a death grip. The others hadn't taken notice of his awkward position yet, freely chatting about with each other as they readied themselves for some hardcore training.

He was still standing there, debating over whether he should give it to him now or wait until later when a sharp voice cut through his thoughts, and like a guillotine dropping, Sena heard Hiruma state, "If you've got something to say, spit it out."

_He has eyes in the back of his head,_ Sena gulped, still not mentally prepared enough to hand it over, but then again when would he be? And it was too late anyways, because his arms had already gone out before him and held the letter out for Hiruma to see, and he was sure it was the end of the world as he knew it as Hiruma turned in response to his silence and saw the once neatly-folded paper (and now slightly crumpled after his hands had gone to work on it) before him.

Sena had his eyes squeezed shut, therefore he couldn't exactly see what Hiruma's reaction was. But his ears weren't blocked, and could hear the gum snap and the phrase spoken in a condescending tone all too clearly: "What the _fuck_ is this?"

All activity in the room had stopped, and now all eyes were trained on their conversation upon hearing those words. _Darn it, there's nothing to see here people, just carry on_, Sena willed. But it didn't seem to be happening, and not to mention Hiruma probably wanted an answer very, very soon. "U-um, well you see, it's a-"

"I know what this is," Hiruma snapped, looking very peeved. "I'm asking you _why_ you're deciding to quit the team after all this time."

"Q-Quit the team?" Suzuna repeated, faintly.

"S-S-S-Sena?" Monta asked.

"No way! Sena-kun, you wouldn't do that, would you?" Kurita turned tearful eyes onto the younger running back, who now felt himself backing away from the mess he'd created.

Unfortunately, not everyone was sympathetic.

"Bastard!" Kuroki grabbed the front of his shirt, with Togano close behind. "Are you tryin' to run away or somethin'?" Togano nodded in agreement, his eyebrows furrowed. Jumonji, surprisingly however, hadn't moved from his position against the wall. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was directing an intent gaze towards Sena's way. Sena quickly shook his head, trying to fend off the angry linemen.

"Enough!"

The shock on everyone's face was apparent as Jumonji slammed his hand against the wall, causing some to jump. "We should get to practice now," he declared, stone-faced.

Nobody moved.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Jumonji growled.

This time, they obeyed. The Devil Bats scurried out the door, not wanting to see Jumonji turn into their Commander from Hell. Sena himself was quite thankful yet surprised at Jumonji's behavior, after all, hadn't he been the one who'd run after Togano and Kuroki after they'd tried to quit?

It seemed Monta was having some of these doubts as well, because he'd stopped at the door and turned to protest. "But Sena-"

"Leave Hiruma to deal with Sena," Jumonji cut off. And then they were gone, Mamori trailing close behind and pausing to give Sena a worried look before joining the others.

Jumonji's outburst had seemingly changed Hiruma's attitude, as he was now sporting a very amused look on his face. "Ke ke ke…he'll make a good captain next year."

Sena felt slightly relieved. _Hiruma-san doesn't seem to be very angry any more…perhaps if I-_

"And as for _you_, chibi…" Hiruma trained his focus on Sena again, now completely serious. Sena's heart fell.

Hiruma got up from his seat and walked towards him with a slow, meaningful stride. Sena instinctively backed away. Hiruma moved closer. Sena took another step backwards.

"Stop running away, dammit! I'm not going to hurt you," Hiruma snarled in frustration.

"Ah- no that's not what I thought you were going to-" Sena denied, but Hiruma wasn't paying attention anymore. He'd had lowered himself to a crouch before Sena's legs, and with a swift movement before Sena could react, had lifted the right leg of Sena's pants. Sena froze in horror.

"Is this why you're trying to quit?" Hiruma questioned him, looking Sena right in the eye and pointing a finger towards Sena's knee, which was supported by the knee brace Miyagi-sensei had given him. Hiruma's green eyes were piercing, and Sena felt uncomfortable under their gaze.

"Of course not," Sena lied in what he hoped was a stable, smooth tone. "And anyways, how did you know?" He thought he'd been pretty good at hiding it.

Hiruma rolled his eyes. "If you're trying to conceal it, at least do a good job about it. Your running form yesterday was terrible. And if you thought you could hide your limping from me with such a half-assed attempt, well then," he grinned, "you're wrong." Then he started cackling insanely, and Sena just sighed in sadness at this.

Sena was starting to relish the feeling of Hiruma's sturdy, cool hands on his leg. He'd never imagined he would get the opportunity to be so close to Hiruma. So when Hiruma pulled them away and rolled his pants leg back down, he felt slightly bitter at the loss. What a chance.

Hiruma had gone back to sit down in front of his laptop again, chewing his gum thoughtfully for a moment. He then picked up the letter Sena had given him. "So, I found out about your little secret, damn chibi. Does that change anything about this?" His voice was quieter than normal, but somehow it grasped Sena's attention all the more. Still, Sena shook his head.

"I've already made up my mind, Hiruma-san…sorry." He truly didn't want to say these words, but he had no choice. It hurt him to say it, it really did. But it would hurt the others' dreams even more if he didn't. So he had to.

"Tch…do whatever you want."

Sena wasn't sure he heard him right. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, if you want to quit so badly, then do it, damn chibi!" Hiruma roared, pulling out his machine gun and firing a fusillade of bullets in Sena's direction. Sena scrambled out of the way.

"Hiii~! Yes sir…" He made a mad dash to the door and was about to leave when Hiruma's words stopped him.

"And sorry," Hiruma muttered, "about yesterday. I didn't mean it."

Then he kicked Sena out the door.

* * *

"I want everyone running 100 laps! Get to it!"

The school day was over, and it was time for another round of practice. The Devil Bats had barely changed into their uniforms when Hiruma had started threatening to shoot them if they didn't hurry up. It also didn't help that the overall atmosphere was pretty glum- one person hadn't shown up.

"I guess Sena really did quit the team after all, Mamo-nee," Suzuna whispered softly to the older girl, lowering her eyes from the field to the ground. Her normal, upbeat attitude was replaced by one of pure disappointment. "I mean," she continued at Mamori's silence, "why would he leave us right before our big game against the Hakushuu Dinosaurs?" Suzuna wanted to cry. Because she wasn't from the same school as the others, she wouldn't be able to see Sena ever again if he quit football.

Mamori tried to smile and say some words of comfort, like, 'Sena will definitely be back. Don't worry- he'd never leave us forever. Just wait and see.' But deep down, she wasn't sure. She didn't want to make any empty promises that would raise Suzuna's hopes. _Sena, where are you? _She wondered, sadly. _Weren't you the one who'd protested when I insisted that you leave? So why are you leaving now?_ Mamori squeezed her eyes shut, praying with all of her might for Sena's safety. _Sena…what happened?_

The mood wasn't any better over on the running field. Kurita was sobbing a river of tears as he trailed behind the others, his sudden bursts of hysteria often just serving as another source of irritation. Komusubi was trying his best to calm his 'master' down, but even he didn't have the heart for it. Monta sighed at this. He ran to catch up with the Ha-Ha Brothers, who, strangely, weren't bickering.

"Hey, Jumonji-kun, why do you think Sena quit?" He asked the taller lineman. Monta had tried to confront Sena about his decision earlier during the school day, but was not able to find him. He'd hoped maybe Jumonji would have the answer.

Jumonji paused, deeply in thought for a moment, then answered gruffly," I don't know. If even _he_ (and at this Jumonji nodded his head towards Hiruma) couldn't stop Sena, then I don't know who can. I guess we should just wait and see if he comes around."

"Yeah, I guess…" Monta replied, feeling depressed because he couldn't do anything else for his friend. "Speaking of which," he said suddenly curious, "what is Hiruma-senpai doing anyways? He's been at his laptop pretty intensely."

They glanced over at Hiruma, who was sitting on the bench with his laptop on his lap, blowing bubbles and typing away as fast as he could think. He was fully clothed in his football uniform, yet didn't seem to have any intention of joining the others in their training. In fact, he didn't even notice Monta and Jumonji directing inquisitive stares in his direction.

They watched as the look on Hiruma's face changed all of a sudden and his once highly focused frown turned into a triumphant smirk. He uttered one word, which Monta and Jumonji couldn't seem to make out, but to Hiruma it was all clear now.

"_Bingo."_

* * *

It was Saturday, the big, life-changing day.

Despite the day's events ahead of him, Sena wasn't upset or angry- in fact, he felt pretty calm, considering how well yesterday had gone. He'd expected Hiruma to blow up at him for leaving and shoot holes through his head, but none of that happened. In fact, Hiruma had even been kind of nice about it- he'd even apologized. In some part of his mind, Sena was feeling disappointed that Hiruma hadn't made a bigger fuss about it, but he quickly pushed those thoughts away. _What's done is done, _he scolded himself, _and now none of what they do is any of your business anymore. _At this last thought, Sena's spirits were dampened, but he didn't have any time to think it over, because now his mother was calling for him to get out of the car.

They walked into the lobby together, and then after his mother had finished up at the reception desk, a figure rounded the corner and stopped in front of them.

Sena's heart stopped beating.

"Follow after me…and don't wander away…you may get lost and never find the way out," a familiar voice moaned.

"Ah! It's you!" Sena jumped out of his skin upon seeing Oka, the head nurse, also known as the occult maniac.

"Oi, Sena," his mother leaned over to whisper uncertainly, "are you sure she is trustworthy enough? I don't like the looks of this…"

They followed the nurse down hallway after hallway, around corner after corner. Both mother and son were becoming increasingly anxious, hoping that the nurse was not actually going to get them lost for real. They were relieved when they finally stopped in front of a dead end. At the end of the hallway was a set of double doors, and over the doors was an unlit sign that read, "OPERATING."

"Well, this is it, Sena," his mother declared shakily. "I'll be right back, I've got to sign some paperwork for you." She left with the nurse right behind her, thankfully for Sena.

Sena flopped down onto a bench outside of the operating room to wait. _I guess that's all I'm going to be doing for awhile…waiting…_he thought glumly. After all, he'd basically left all of his friends behind when he'd quit the football team. The magnitude of what he'd done hadn't really sunken in until now. After this surgery, Sena would have to go back to his life before he'd joined the Devil Bats- years of running around as a gopher with no real friends. _Life can't get any worse…_

And now that he thought about it, Sena was pretty sure the others hated him as well. There was no way they'd accept him back. He'd betrayed them. _You're right, Kuroki-kun, I am just running away, _he thought, remembering the lineman's burst of rage against him._ All I can do is run away from the people who've accepted me the most._ After experiencing the bonds of the greatest of friendship, Sena felt all alone now, sitting in the empty hallway. His eyes filled with tears that should've been emptied two days ago but now trickled down his cheeks and landed like raindrops onto his pants.

"Oi, damn chibi, what're you doing here crying by yourself?"

Sena couldn't believe his ears. His mind told him that the voice belonged to Hiruma, and that he was _there_ in the hospital hallway with him right now. But Sena refused to believe it. "How pathetic. I must be hallucinating again," Sena muttered to himself under his breath. Hiruma sighed, annoyed.

"Does _this_ look like a hallucination?" He fired a few rounds at Sena's feet, and Sena, startled now and looking up to see the bullets, jumped out of the way to avoid them.

"H-Hiruma-san!" He cried out, panicked yet glad to see his captain here. "What are you doing here?"

"It's not just me, idiot."

"Sena-kun!"

Sena felt a large pair of arms wrap around his shoulder before the weight of the body fell upon him and he gasped, choking for air. "K-Kurita-san…please get off me," he croaked weakly before his lungs gave out. Kurita, seeing what he had done, quickly jumped back in apology. His face was still lined with tears in pure joy at seeing Sena, though. And it wasn't just Kurita. The rest of the Devil Bats had come too!

"Everyone…why are you here?" Sena asked, bewildered. If they all were here, that meant they knew why Sena was at the hospital today. And that was not what was supposed to happen.

Still, he couldn't help feeling a bit happy to see them again.

"Sena!" Mamori strode up to him and pulled him into a tight embrace, wiping tears of relief from her eyes. "Sena, I thought I'd never see you again! Why didn't you just tell us what happened instead of quitting?"

"Ya~, after all, we're a team. You can't just quit so easily like that," Suzuna agreed, skating up to him and placing a hand on his shoulder after Mamori had let go.

"Yeah-MAX!" Monta called out. He flashed a grin at Sena, giving him his trademark thumbs-up. Sena looked around, and the reaction was the same everywhere- they all looked truly happy to see him. _Everyone was so concerned for me…why didn't I just tell them right away?,_ he thought. Then he remembered why.

"W-Well…you see, I thought you would all be worried about my surgery and it would keep you away from your practice…which I know you all are focusing on to win the game against the Dinosaurs and go to the Christmas Bowl," Sena said sheepishly, fiddling with his fingers nervously. Everyone's attention was on him now. "And…because I can't make it to the Christmas Bowl," his voice caught here at this, "I really wanted you guys to play for me."

Silence followed this declaration. It seemed like a huge rain cloud had just swept over their sunny skies, and they were now face to face with the problem: Sena wouldn't go to the Christmas Bowl. He couldn't go.

"Iddddiot," Hiruma said, breaking the silence.

"Ha?"

"Haa?"

"HAAAA?"

Everyone turned to face Hiruma, who was calmly blowing a bubble. "Hiruma-san, what do you mean?" Sena asked, confused. "I can't run like this."

Hiruma snapped his gum, then turned his head to look Sena right in the eye. Once again, Sena felt how sharply Hiruma's gaze seemed to be, connected with his own.

"You can't run," Hiruma agreed, "but that doesn't mean you're not a player. You're just as much of a Devil Bat as everyone else here is," he said, pointing a finger over his shoulder at the rest of the team, who was now nodding enthusiastically. "We need you there if we're going to win the Christmas Bowl. After all, you can't neglect your secretary duties, can you? …Sena?" He flashed a wicked grin in Sena's direction, but Sena was too overwhelmed by his emotions to feel afraid. He was touched by the level of affections that his team had for him. They were surrounding him again, slapping him on his back and ruffling his hair. Sena laughed through all of this, but one thing stood out above the others. _Hiruma-san called me by my name, _he thought, extremely pleased. _He called me Sena!_

The sound of a barrage of bullets stopped them in their tracks. "Everyone who doesn't want to die, get out," Hiruma declared, the _click-click_ from his gun testifying to that. "I'm going to talk to the chibi alone."

"W-well I'll see you later!" Monta said to his friend uneasily before trotting off.

"Hope everything goes well, Sena-kun," Yukimitsu added, following the others. Whether he meant with the surgery or Hiruma, Sena didn't know. Probably both.

"Sit down," Hiruma ordered.

Sena sat. He felt the weight of the cushion on the bench shift as Hiruma sat next to him, putting his arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling distantly. He seemed to be thinking about what to say. _I guess even Hiruma-san has no clue what to tell me,_ Sena thought, smiling softly to himself.

"Oi, chibi, how're you feeling?" Hiruma asked suddenly, turning to face Sena. Sena was mildly surprised by the question because Hiruma was rarely one to ask about another's feelings, so it took him a moment to reply.

"I guess I'm kind of scared," he said thoughtfully, "because I've never had surgery before. But Miyagi-sensei- that is, my doctor- said it wouldn't hurt so I'm not too worried," he smiled up at Hiruma, who didn't say anything back. His eyes were trailing down Sena's leg to stare at his knee, which was propped up straight on the bench between them. Sena noticed this, and, being in a slightly good mood due to the team's unexpected visit and Hiruma's sole, undivided attention on him, reassured nonchalantly, "Ah- about that, don't worry, I'm sure the surgery will go through fine."

Hiruma snorted. "Of course it will, idiot." He carefully lifted the pants leg to reveal the knee brace beneath. Although the knee itself was hidden beneath layers and layers of bandages, Hiruma guessed that it must've hurt pretty badly if Sena had to go through surgery to fix it. Instantly, his mind flashed back to two mornings before, when he had pretty much blown up at the kid. Of course, he'd already apologized for that. But he hadn't known that it was so serious…

Sena, who had been sitting quietly and watching Hiruma and his inspection of the knee, saw the emotions flicker like a candle across Hiruma's face. It was brief, and Sena wasn't really a master of reading people's faces, but in there he saw worry, frustration, and most of all, regret. Immediately, he knew what Hiruma was thinking of.

"Hiruma-san…" Sena began slowly to capture the quarterback's attention. "If you're thinking about what happened Thursday morning, just know that I'm not mad at you for that, and it's not your fault. After all, my knee was already like this before I came to practice that day," he reasoned. "And besides, I've already accepted your apology anyways," Sena concluded, his brown eyes bright and warm.

Hiruma's face was blank as he kept his eyes on the younger running back, who was now standing to stretch, a yawn escaping from his lips. Despite his poker face however, inside, Hiruma was slightly shocked at Sena's comment. _Totally read my mind, that damn chibi._ The faintest trace of a smirk appeared on his face, though this time, free of malicious intent.

"You're something alright, Sena," he said casually, blowing a minty green bubble and closing his eyes. "Not just your legs, too." Sena, surprised, sat down again and scooted towards Hiruma. He hadn't exactly caught what his captain had said. Or rather, he didn't believe what Hiruma had said.

"Did you say something, Hiruma-san?" Sena questioned curiously, his face moving closer towards Hiruma in an attempt to discern the quarterback's words.

"Nothing at all," Hiruma grinned at their proximity. _Perfect. Time to take advantage of this. _Then he seized the back of Sena's neck and pushed their lips together.

To say Sena was shocked would be an understatement. He was completely taken aback at this behavior- Hiruma had grabbed a fistful of Sena's soft, rabbit-like hair and was shoving his way into Sena's mouth in a rough, passionate kiss. Sena's face flushed as red as their mascot, and he was trembling so hard you'd think he'd fall apart.

"H-H-H-Hiruma-san," Sena stuttered when Hiruma finally pulled back, looking extremely satisfied. Sena panted, his heart thumping insanely fast in his chest. Despite the butterflies in his stomach, though, Sena was practically swooning in bliss. He'd never imagined that Hiruma would come to like him back, and would even take the initiative!

_Wait, what?_ "Hiruma-san, c-could it be that you like me?" Sena openly gaped, astonished. _Is it alright for me to hope?_ _After everything that's happened? But wait, what if that was just a joke…_

Hiruma took one look at Sena's serious, contemplating face before sighing and pulling the running back into his chest, his arm draped over Sena's shoulder. Sena blushed furiously but made no protest, instead, trying to calm his whirling thoughts, which were immediately swept away by the pleasant, nostalgic scent radiating from Hiruma's body.

"Leave the thinking to me, chibi," Hiruma assured the younger boy. "Especially since we're going to spend a _whole_ lot of time together from now on. Just you and me. _Alone._" He smirked, a hint of the normal maliciousness creeping back into his face. Sena froze.

"Eh? What do you mean by that…"

"I mean, idiot, that just because you can't participate in the football drills doesn't meant you're not getting any training. I'm going to teach you how to be the perfect secretary for the Christmas Bowl," Hiruma decided, possibly on the spot. "And we're going to need some time outside of school."

Sena felt intrigued…yet puzzled. Which was why he didn't know just what possessed him to ask his next words, but they came tumbling out anyways. "Where are we going to train?"

Hiruma turned to face Sena, his trademark grin revealing the glistening fangs that glimmered to match the devious sparkle in his eye. "Obviously, idiot, at my house."

Let's just say, Sena's surgery would be the least of his troubles for now.

* * *

**EDIT (7/22/12): Thanks to witheringroots for catching a BIG mistake on my part. I seemed to have miscalculated the length of the rehabilitation period for an ACL injury. I apologize to my readers for this blunder DX.**

**Well now. Yay! Thanks for making it/ reading it this far, guys. Means a lot to me. I've just been writing these small stories as a hobby, and it's great that people are responding to them~ ^-^**

**Oh crap. I just remembered. I FORGOT TO MENTION ISHIMARU! ...I tried to mention all the Devil Bats at least once in this story but it seems I left out the most important one to remember. Sorry, Ishimaru. Oh yeah, and Musashi, too. See? It's not just his plainness :D!**


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